Painted Dreams
by SevereObsession
Summary: Wine and pizza make for an interesting combination, but not nearly as interesting as the combination of a painter, an ex-firefighter/police officer and two sultry sweethearts. (A January Man Fic)
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Do I really have to say it?   
  
* * * *  
  
The mottled brush paused over the canvas as it's owner glanced around the easel at the model, who was vainly fluffing her hair. "Stop moving, darling, will you?"  
  
"Sorry, handsome, but I've just been lying here for so long."  
  
"Only a bit longer." The brush swiped across the canvas. "Move your hand just so." He demonstrated, and she obeyed with a yawn. "Perfect." Another stroke of paint was added.  
  
He recoated the brush and was about to begin again when he heard the front door open. With a soft growl, he turned. "Damnit, Nick, what have I told you about interrupting my work?"  
  
A blonde head appeared around the corner, followed by another one. "I really don't know," commented the first blonde. "But those are certainly not real."  
  
The other giggled. "Ashley!" she scolded.  
  
"What?" Ashley asked innocently, striding into the room. She approached the model. "Out."  
  
"What?" asked the girl, Leah, and the painter.  
  
Ashley turned. "Honestly, Ed. You can do better than that, right Leah?"  
  
"Right," chimed in the second blonde, throwing a blanket to the less-than-modest woman stretched across the coach. "Here. You look cold."  
  
The model stared at the two blonde girls, obviously unimpressed with their intrusion. She tossed the blanket aside and stood, moving the tiny black kitten from it's place on her shoulder.   
  
"Ed," she started warningly.  
  
Ed held up both his hand, paint splattering from the brush in the process and raining across Ashley's jeans.   
  
"I'll get them out, darling, honest I will."  
  
Ashley's raised eyebrow did nothing to faze the model or Ed as she wiped at the paint on her leg. Leah snickered behind her hand and Ed turned to her with the sound, the brush swinging and splattering paint across her face.  
  
She looked absolutely shocked for a moment before both Ashley and the model began to howl with laughter.  
  
"This is not funny!" Leah cried, running down the hall, in hopes that she would find a bathroom.  
  
Ed watched her go, then turned to Ashley. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind when two extremely pretty girls find their way into my studio, but who are you?"  
  
Ashley grinned. "I'm Ashley and the girl who just ran down the hall was Leah."  
  
Ed nodded. "Right, I got that. But where did you come from?"  
  
"Ed," the model said again, standing up and reaching for her clothes.  
  
"No, don't leave," Ed cried, scrambling toward her.  
  
"That's a relatively vague question," Ashley began seriously. "I could tell you that I came from my mother, or that I just came from outside in the hall. Or I could tell you that Leah and I were born on an alien ship and were designed specifically to harass and seduce all Alan Rickman characters."  
  
Leah snorted, coming back into the living room with a towel. "And he'd certainly believe that."  
  
Ed looked confused but very cute in his painter's outfit. His bare chest peeked out from under his paint-spattered jean jacket. A smile turned up Ashley's lips as she handed the model her shirt. Ed attempted to snatch it away, but Ashley caught him by the arm. "It is indeed an interesting question. Where do any of us come from? By now we know that the whole stork story is radically unsound, at least, most sane adults know that. I don't know about her, though."  
  
She tilted her chin towards the now-dressed model, who Leah was ushering outside with a bit more force than necessary. Ashley kept a firm hand on his wrist.  
  
Ed cringed as the door slammed shut, and moments later Leah reappeared, smiling. She obviously didn't know that she still had a wide streak of green across her forehead.  
  
Of course, Ashley was not about to tell her. Instead, she surveyed the unfinished painting, stroking her chin meditatively. "Very nice... however, the subject is quite... unappealing."  
  
From the raise of his eyebrow, Ashley could tell that he had not found her unappealing in the least. "I mean, come on, Ed, how many naked portraits can one person stand?"  
  
"Don't answer that," said Leah, catching the look on his face.  
  
"You have paint," Ed started suddenly, seeing Leah standing near the portrait.  
  
She frowned and stuck her tongue out at Ashley before realizing that Ed had crossed the room and was smoothing his thumb across her forehead to remove the green streak.  
  
"Hey . . . I have paint on me too," Ashley cried.  
  
Leah glanced over Ed's shoulder and stuck her tongue out again.  
  
He dipped his finger into a glass of water near his easel and lightly dabbed it onto Leah's forehead, wiping it dry a moment later.  
  
"Gone," he said, smiling at her.  
  
"Thanks," she murmured, staring up at him dreamily. "I think I'm gonna faint."  
  
Ed frowned. "Huh?"  
  
"See, she's a big baby," Ashley said. "Can't even handle a simple touch like that."  
  
Leah's eyes widened. "He hasn't touched you at all. His touch is like, a thousand times better than Snape or the Sheriff."  
  
Ashley looked shocked. "What? Better than Snape . . . I don't know . . ."  
  
"There's a difference with him," Leah said. "He doesn't mind that we're here."  
  
"Actually," Ed began, "I didn't really appreciate you kicking out my model."  
  
"Oh, get over it," Leah said, then turned back to Ashley. "This is going to be so easy."  
  
Ashley grinned. "Like the others weren't?"  
  
Ed looked confused and he moved over to the couch where the black kitten was still playing. The loud parrot above him squawked and said, "Lookey here Ed . . . pretty girls. Pretty girls."  
  
"Yes," crooned Ed to the bird, half out of habit of talking to the thing and half agreeing with the squawking creature.  
  
Ashley had noticed the kitten for seemingly the first time. Her eyes widened and she backed away. Ed noticed this. "Something wrong, uh... Ashley?"  
  
"Cat," was all she said.  
  
Leah's eyes glinted wickedly, and she picked up the black ball of fluff and approached Ashley.  
  
"What, don't you like the cat, Ash?" She received a cold glare, but was undaunted. She held up the cat to her friend. "Don't you want to pet it?"  
  
"No, thank you," said the girl in a hiss, edging away along the wall.  
  
"Why not?" Leah was the picture of innocence, except for the sparkle in her eyes.  
  
"You know why." She brushed at her nose in anticipation of potential sneezes. This was so unfair.  
  
"Allergic?" drawled Ed. Ashley nodded vigorously, her eyes locked on the kitten as if it would attack. "Oh, don't worry, I keep her clean. A lot of my models are allergic, so I have to."  
  
Slowly, a smile spread across the girl's face. "Foiled your little plan, didn't it, Leah dear?"  
  
Leah dropped the kitten, looking disappointed that she wouldn't be running Ashley from the room. Ed *was* in her harem after all... she should get more time with him.  
  
The little black ball of fur went scrambling from the room and raced down the hall, disappearing into a room. Leah smiled slightly at it. "She's cute," she said.  
  
"Not as cute as Ed," Ashley said slyly.  
  
Leah rolled her eyes. "How can you possibly compare a cat to Ed? Number one, he's human, she's not. Number two, they're cute in such different ways. The cat is cuddly cute ... okay, maybe not for you, but for me. Ed is ... okay, he's also cuddly cute but in that 'wow, you're a great kisser' way."  
  
Ed coughed into his hand, suddenly very intrigued by the two girls who had suddenly appeared in the apartment.  
  
"Great kisser?" he asked, getting up off the couch and walking over. "Wait a second, this is New York . . . 1989 ... how old are you?"  
  
Leah grinned. "Eighteen."  
  
Ashley glared at her and said, "Seventeen."  
  
He shrugged. "Well, at least you're not jail bait."  
  
Leah screwed up her face in disgust. "That is such a horrible term."  
  
Ed shrugged. "I was worried. You never know how old someone is in New York." He paused. "So what was that talk about great kisser?"  
  
Leah instantly lit up. "Well, Ashley and I are here to settle a bet."  
  
"What kind of bet?" Ed asked.  
  
"I think you're probably a better kisser than Snape," Leah said. "But Ashley thinks Snape is way better."  
  
Ed frowned. "I don't know who this Snape is, but I can't let him win this bet." He paused again. "What did you bet?"  
  
Ashley shrugged. "Nothin'," she said innocently.  
  
Ed frowned. "What'd you bet?" he repeated.  
  
"Twenty dollars," Leah said quickly. "We bet twenty dollars."  
  
Now that she was here, Ashley was pretty certain she was going to lose the bet. But oh, would it be worth it.  
  
"And this is your idea of... fun?" He ran a hand through his unruly hair, glancing back and forth between the two.  
  
Leah shrugged. "Of course! What's wrong with it? Both sides end up happy."  
  
A smile tugged at his lips. "I'm sure they do. Now," he pressed his palms together, "which of you two ladies are going to attempt to settle this bet first?"  
  
"I will!" volunteered Ashley brightly, nearly skipping forward, but managing to control herself into a semi-fast saunter. Sexy, Ashley, very sexy. She rolled her eyes.  
  
Glancing up at the painter, she smiled coyly. "Ready to prove me wrong?"  
  
"But of course, darling." Eagerly, he wrapped his hands about her waist, drawing her closer in a way that nearly took her breath away. He bent slightly to brush his lips against hers. His tongue pressed against her lips, parting them effortlessly.  
  
She answered with a timid intensity that was fast losing its control of her. Her hands slid up his stomach, under his jacket to the bare skin beneath, lightly pressing her nails into his chest.  
  
He moaned softly, biting gently at her lower lip in rough playfulness before claiming her mouth once again.  
  
When the kiss ended, it was all Ashley could do to make it to the couch without collapsing bonelessly to the floor. He cocked an eyebrow at her before glancing slyly at Leah, who was bouncing up and down on her toes. "Next?"  
  
Leah grinned, one corner of her mouth turning up more than the other. If she had known he would have been so willing, Ed would have definitely been their first victim . . . err . . . plaything. She brushed her hair off her face, then slowly walked toward him, pushing him toward the chair that was placed near the apartment window. The window that let in that infamous light.  
  
Ed willingly sunk into the chair, grabbing Leah's waist as he went and pulling her with him. She squeezed his sides gently with her legs, then bent down to place a soft kiss just above the top button of his shirt. She dragged her lips up his throat, over his Adam's Apple to the place behind his ear. A shiver ran through Ed and he growled playfully.  
  
"Someone thinks they can out-tease me," he said huskily in her ear.  
  
Leah grinned. "Someone does," she agreed.  
  
"Lord you girls are cocky," he whispered.  
  
Leah's grin spread wider. "We definitely are."  
  
Ed's mouth went suddenly to her collarbone, leaving a trail of kisses along her throat. His tongue drew a wet line up to her ear where his teeth gently pulled at her earlobe. A moment later, his lips found her and softly, he kissed her.  
  
Leah's hands pressed against his chest and she kissed him gently, not wanting to pick up the pace of the perfect kiss he had started. She broke apart from him a few moments later, breathless from the slow, soft kiss they had shared.   
  
Ashley stared, impressed, from the couch, fanning herself with one hand. The two looked over at her, waiting for her verdict. She smiled coyly. "Well, I, for one, need a bit more convincing before I'm giving up my twenty dollars."  
  
Ed smiled again at the challenge, pressing a quick kiss against Leah's lips. "Mind languishing for a moment while I prove your friend horribly wrong?"  
  
Though she did mind, Leah obliged him and stood for a moment as Ed crossed the distance to the couch. He sunk down next to Ashley, taking her by the shoulders and lowering her back against the cushions, his body pressed lightly atop hers. Their hands tangled in each others hair, stroking and playing with the strands.   
  
He pressed gentle but firm kisses to her temples, outlining her face in the smooth caresses. He kissed the crease between her chin and lips, tantalizingly close. "Convinced yet?"  
  
She ran her hands down to his chest again, slipping under the jacket and edging it off his shoulders. "You're gonna have to do... better than that..." she managed breathlessly.  
  
He shrugged off the jacket, revealing his paint-flecked skin for her approval. Her hands fluttered to his neck, bringing him closer. He didn't resist, but gave in to her, kissing her deeply and tenderly, surrounding her body with warmth.  
  
She could hardly form a coherent thought with him like this, but one thing did come to mind. This was better than Snape and the Sheriff put together...  
  
Leah grinned and cleared her throat, crossing her legs and leaning back in the chair. Ed cracked one eyelid at the sound, caught a glimpse of her position and sat up. Leah was suddenly happy that she had decided to wear a skirt that day. She grinned and turned, stretching her legs out in front of her. Ed's eyes widened further and he stood up and walked back over to the chair and knelt before Leah.  
  
"Goddesses," he breathed, glancing back at Ashley, then turning to look at Leah. "That's what you are."  
  
Leah smiled. "Thanks. That's sweet."  
  
He took both her hands in his and kissed them, staring up at her the entire time. He turned her arm over and kissed the crook of her elbow, then leaned forward and place another kiss on her throat.  
  
"I like this," Leah said to Ashley. "We hardly have to do any work."  
  
Ed leaned over Leah and swept her out of the chair. She giggled at the unexpected movement and clung to his neck, then grinned and ran one of her hands down his chest. He took her over to the couch and deposited her beside Ashley.  
  
"Less running around," he explained, then leaned forward and caught Leah's mouth in an unexpected kiss.   
  
Her hands fluttered against the bare skin of his chest before coming to rest there, gently tracing the outline of muscle under his skin.  
  
Ed's hands came up, running through Leah's hair before grasping her waist to pull her close. He collapsed onto the couch, pulling her on top of him, his lips still on hers, still passionately kissing her face and her throat.  
  
Ashley raised an eyebrow at the pair. Lord.  
  
With a soft smile, she reached out a hand to trail lightly across the muscles in his arms. She moved her hand up and down his upper arm. Her touch was light and in normal circumstances would have been innocent. But these were no normal circumstances, and the scrape of her fingertips lit him on fire.  
  
He moaned against Leah's throat, his eyes darting over to meet Ashley's. She waggled her eyebrows cutely, letting her hand slip down his side to hook her fingers in his belt loop, tracing her thumb along the top of his jeans.  
  
He reached for her, catching her by the arm and pulling her into a kiss. His other hand was still entwined in Leah's hair, caressing her scalp as she administered kisses to his smooth, broad chest.  
  
Ashley pressed her mouth to his, their tongues engaged in a fiery duel for dominance. Her kiss was so deep that he was forced to tilt his head back slightly to properly take it in.  
  
"Lord," he murmured, his fingers rubbing insistently on the base of her neck, drawing her even closer to him.  
  
Her hands played across his beard, stroking the short hairs and dancing their way back up into his hair.  
  
She pulled back slightly, breathless. "Are you glad we kicked out your little model now, Ed dahling?"  
  
He nodded, unable to think of anything to say to the two girls. He didn't know where they had come from, but he honestly didn't care. His eyes were still locked with Ashley's when he finally noticed Leah's finger trailing gently along the waist of his jeans. His breath caught in his throat and she grinned up at him before standing and pushing him backward.  
  
Ed willing stood with her, following her across the room.  
  
"It's a shame to waste this light," Leah murmured, pushing Ed up against the wall where a square of light fell. He smiled and pulled her close, then grabbed her shoulders and switched their positions so that Leah was now standing against the wall.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him just as his hands grabbed her waist and lifted her slightly so that she was staring him in the eye. Her arms slid around his neck, holding herself up against him and her legs slowly wrapped around his waist.  
  
"Perfect," Ed murmured, bending down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead. His lips travelled down her face until they found her mouth once more. Leah let herself be lost in the kiss, the feeling of his lips and his tongue pushing against her.  
  
The sound of an opening door interrupted them a moment later and Leah's eyes cracked open to see Nick Starkey standing in the doorway of his apartment.  
  
Nick took in the breathless girl on his couch and the girl that had her legs wrapped around Ed's waist and shook his head.  
  
* * * *  
  
End Part 1 


	2. Chapter 2

* * * *  
  
"Ed ... Jesus, can't you keep this in your own apartment? I mean, I don't mind you using mine for painting but this is too much. One girl on the couch and one pinned up against the wall? For God's sake, Ed. You have to stop-"  
  
"Hi," Leah said suddenly, cutting him off. Slowly, after kissing the painter tenderly, she unwrapped her legs from Ed's waist and started towards Nick. She held out her hand. "I'm Leah."  
  
Nick stared at her a moment before taking her hand in his and raising it to his lips. "My pleasure, I'm sure."  
  
A smile turned up her mouth. "So am I."  
  
Ed leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed over his delightfully bare chest. "Lord, Nick, you do manage to ruin things, don't you?"  
  
Ashley rose from the couch and sashayed her way over to the forlorn painter. "Don't worry, love, I'm still here."  
  
He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close. "Good."  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted a leg to hook around his hip. His hand slid down her back and under her thigh, his fingers seeming to make every muscle in her body suddenly liquidate. The leg still planted on the ground gave out abruptly. He caught her by the waist, easily lifting her up and wrapping his arms around her so that her feet were a good foot off the ground. "Weak knees," she gasped, wrapping her legs around him.  
  
"No need to worry about that," he whispered back, kissing her chin lightly and carrying her back over to the couch.  
  
Using the technique with which she had had such success before, Ashley lowered her mouth to his ear and began to gently nibble on the sensitive flesh of his earlobe.  
  
He inhaled sharply and dropped onto the cushions, rolling over so that she was now straddling him.  
  
Leah and Nick watched from the doorway of the apartment. A deep frown came across Nick's face and Leah glanced up at him immediately.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Where does he managed to find women like the two of you?"  
  
Leah grinned. "We found him. And I'm in luck. Ed and a guy like you in the same apartment, go figure."  
  
Nick looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "A guy like me?"  
  
Leah nodded, inching forward. "A big, strong police officer like yourself ... that's a good kind of guy."  
  
Nick grinned and looked away. "Well, thanks, but you know I'm not a police officer anymore and .... wait a second. How do you know what I do for a living?"  
  
Leah rolled her eyes and put a hand on his arm. "Everyone heard about that awful case with the serial killer." Ed let out a muffled groan from the couch and Leah paused to let him finish before continuing her conversation with Nick.   
  
"We all know about it." She took a step closer so that she was completely invading his personal space and just like all the others, he didn't seem to mind.   
  
"Wait, how old are you?" he asked suddenly.  
  
Leah grinned. "Not twenty three."   
  
Nick paused, then shook his head and smiled. "You're an interesting girl, you know that?"  
  
She shrugged. "I've been told."  
  
A giggle shot through the apartment and Leah rolled her eyes and turned to the two on the couch. "Just remember that he's still mine," she scolded before turning back to Nick. "Now, you must be famished," she began, squeezing his arm tightly. Faking surprise, Leah grabbed his arm again. "Wow ... big muscles."  
  
Nick grinned proudly and nodded. "Thank you... and yes, I am famished. And you must be as well, after your... er," he glanced at the pair on the couch again as a feminine moan pierced the air, "exertions."  
  
She grinned. "Absolutely. I've heard you're quite a cook."  
  
"I try. I hope you have a taste for the out-of-the-ordinary... but then again, you were here for Ed, so..."  
  
An indignant obscenity was hurled towards the handsome former police officer.   
  
He offered his arm to Leah. "Shall I escort you into the kitchen?"  
  
Leah hooked her arm through his. "Absolutely." She glanced towards the couch once again. "Should we allow for the make out bunnies?"  
  
Ashley disentangled her arm from around Ed for long enough to give them the thumbs-up sign.  
  
Leah giggled as Nick rolled his eyes and led her out of the room. He shut the door firmly behind him to block out any... noises.  
  
Ed propped himself up on one elbow and stared at Ashley for a long moment. "Did I make you lose your bet?" he asked finally.  
  
She grinned. "You did, but you know . . . I'm not too upset about that."  
  
Ed smiled back and brushed a strand of her hair off her forehead. "Why's that?"  
  
Ashley shrugged. "The others might have been good looking, but you're good looking and more than willing. You're into this as much as I am."  
  
He cocked his head. "And why wouldn't I be?"  
  
Ashley's response was interrupted as Leah banged back into the room, holding a bottle of wine.  
  
"Wine!" she squealed, pointing at it. "Real wine!"  
  
"It only cost $6.50," Ed drawled.  
  
Leah bounced excitedly. "SO?"  
  
Ashley sat up. "Real wine?"  
  
Leah nodded. "I feel so . . . adult."  
  
Nick appeared behind her. "You are an adult."  
  
"Legally, yes she is," Ashley said. "Mentally ... not quite there yet."  
  
Leah stuck her tongue out in Ashley's direction, then turned back to Nick and handed him the bottle of wine. She grabbed either side of his head and kissed him quickly, then bounced back into the kitchen.  
  
Nick stared woozily at Ed for a few moments before grinning. "I don't know where you found them . . . but I'm so glad you did."  
  
"I told you," Leah called from the kitchen, "WE found HIM."  
  
Nick nodded and followed her again.  
  
Ed grinned at Ashley. "Shall we get back to it, or shall we break for dinner?"  
  
Ashley glanced at her watch. "They just started cooking, I'm sure we have some time left."  
  
His grin widened. "You're absolutely right."  
  
"I usually am." She gave him a quick peck on the lips, but he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her head down for a longer version.   
  
"Mmm..." she murmured, licking her red and slightly swollen lips. "I'd lose any bet for this."  
  
"Glad you like it," he drawled. "One question, however. Do you two simply go around to whoever you want and... seduce them?"  
  
She bobbed her head up and down. "Basically, yeah."  
  
"Oh." It was a good enough answer for him, and he claimed her mouth again, his hands playing with the hem of her skirt.  
  
Meanwhile, things were heating up in the kitchen, in more ways than one.  
  
Nick dipped a finger in the sauce he was cooking and held it out to Leah for inspection. She took his hand in hers and sucked it clean, pressing a kiss onto the end of his finger with a sultry gaze up at him. "Delicious," she breathed.  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at the girl before him. She was grinning innocently as if nothing at all had happened, then turned and went back to set the table. Her skirt swished around her knees and Nick glanced appreciatively at her legs.  
  
"Cute skirt," he said.  
  
Leah tossed him a smile over her shoulder. "And I'm so sure that's what you're actually looking at."  
  
He smiled innocently. "Two can play at that game, you know."  
  
Leah turned to look at Nick with wide eyes. "What game?"  
  
Nick crossed the kitchen quickly and backed Leah up until her thighs hit the table. His hands dropped down onto her shoulders, one sliding gently down her spine, his fingers dancing over her skin. Leah shivered and smiled, her hands tracing up the buttons of his shirt and playing with the top button until it came undone.  
  
Her eyes widened further. "Ooops."  
  
Nick chuckled and pressed against her harder and she could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath. His face moved closer to hers and he leaned down to her ear.  
  
"Dinner's gonna burn," he whispered, his breath hot against her face.  
  
Leah closed her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Let it," she answered.  
  
Nick smiled and pressed his mouth against her, feeling her lips beneath him.  
  
"And Ed had you both," he breathed. "Good thing I walked in before he realized how great you were."  
  
Leah smiled. "I'm pretty sure he'll be perfectly happy with Ashley ... trust me, I've been witness to her reducing men to puddles." She kissed him again. "Enough about them..."  
  
Meanwhile, back in the living room ...   
  
"Do you know," Ashley purred into Ed's ear, "that I have reduced men to nothing more than puddles before?"  
  
The whispered fact elicited a throaty groan from his throat. "I don't doubt it," he murmured, pressing his lips against the top of her breastbone. He had pinned her beneath him and was half-lying across her, though careful not to overpower her slim frame with his weight.  
  
She, however, pulled him closer. "I won't break," she whispered.  
  
He paused to cock an eyebrow at her. "Good."  
  
Ashley was suddenly very glad that she was already lying down, or she would have collapsed at the line.  
  
"How are you still single," she gasped.  
  
He shrugged. "Enough talking." To further his point, he slid his tongue into her mouth, stealing her very breath away. She dragged her bare foot up and down his side, trailing down his leg and pressing insistently against him. He was right, enough talking.  
  
  
Leah had begun to fear that the smoke alarm would go off, if they even had smoke alarms in this time. She couldn't remember. How could she, when she could hardly think with Nick's tongue halfway down her throat. Not that she was complaining, of course... far from it. In fact, she was keeping up with the self-proclaimed chef quite well, if she did say so herself.  
  
Or at least, she was until the kitchen door opened and Ed and Ashley appeared. "So, this is what you do when you cook, Nick," said Ed with a half-grin. "No wonder your food tastes the way it does."  
  
Leah broke away to stare breathlessly at the two in the doorway. Ed looked a little breathless himself and she grinned at Ashley, giving her a thumbs up.   
  
"You might as well scream 'high five!'," Nick said, smiling at them both.  
  
Leah grinned. "Don't tempt me."  
  
"Is the food ready?" Ashley asked.  
  
Nick stared at her. "Isn't it obvious that we were a little ... sidetracked with other things?"  
  
Ashley sighed and pushed Nick and Leah away from the kitchen table. "Leave. Ed and I will cook."  
  
Nick crossed his arms from where he stood behind Leah. "Do you even know how long to boil a stuffed onion in chicken broth? Or how to fry the cow stomach in goat's milk?"  
  
Ashley made a face. "Nope, but I'm sure I'll learn pretty quickly."  
  
Nick paused, then shrugged. "Okay." His head dipped to Leah's shoulder and nibbled her gently. She giggled and swatted at him gently as he moved to sweep her off her feet ... literally. Nick picked Leah up in her arms and she giggled again.  
  
"Isn't he gallant?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. They disappeared down the hall, leaving Ashley and Ed alone in the kitchen.  
  
Ashley stared at the goat's milk. "Me... cooking?"  
  
Ed looked at her. "I thought you said you'd manage?" he asked.  
  
Ashley handed him a spoon. "You do it," she said.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. "What, do you think I only come here for the light? I can't cook!"  
  
Ashley reached behind her to turn off the stove. "Well then, that leaves us with only two options."  
  
"And they are?"  
  
"Order pizza and..." she crossed the distance between them in a step and kissed him again. She couldn't seem to get enough of his soft lips.  
  
He pulled back momentarily. "An excellent plan."  
  
"Thank you." He wrapped an arm around her waist, crushing her against him as he showered kisses on her.  
  
Absently, she reached for the phone and dialed. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd manage once the pizzeria answered, as her mouth was otherwise engaged, but she'd think of something.  
  
  
Approximately forty minutes later, Nick heard his doorbell ring and reluctantly parted from Leah. She growled against his throat, then flipped on the light in the darkened bedroom and stood, straightening her skirt.  
  
"I wonder what Ash and Ed have been up to?" she asked, grinning wickedly.  
  
"I wonder who's at my door now?" Nick murmured, throwing his shirt over his shoulders and walking down the hall to the front door. Leah followed him, brushing her hair out with her fingers. Ashley came out of the kitchen at the same time and they grinned at each other. Ed followed Ashley a second later, stumbling unsteadily around the living room.  
  
Nick opened the door to reveal a pizza guy standing there, his hand raised to ring the bell again.  
  
He was greeted to the sight of four very dishevelled looking people and both his eyebrows raised.  
  
"You ordered pizza?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
Ashley nodded. "We did. Who has money?"  
  
Everyone's eyes turned to Nick and he sighed before digging around in the closet for his wallet.   
  
"Every time," he mumbled as he paid the pizza guy.   
  
Ashley grabbed the pizzas and took them into the kitchen where Nick's earlier concoctions had all been disposed of.  
  
Ashley tossed the pizza on the table. "Dig in, guys!" Ed took a seat and Ashley promptly settled down onto his lap, primly crossing her legs as he wrapped an arm around her waist. He picked up a slice of pizza and offered it to her. "Thanks, love." He took a bite after she did, chewing thoughtfully.  
  
Ashley grinned over at Leah, who was the mirror image of herself. They'd somehow managed to snag two guys at once, which meant they weren't competing... definitely a first... and most likely a last. Not that she minded... it was great fun to drive men crazy between the two of them.  
  
Obviously.  
  
She kissed Ed's forehead. "Good?"  
  
"Very. I don't get normal food much around here..."  
  
Nick might have had a comeback, but Leah abruptly silenced him with a deep kiss that nearly made Nick choke on his bite of pizza.  
  
Ashley chuckled and continued to chow down on the pizza they had ordered. It was very good pizza indeed . . . .  
  
"Good pizza," Leah said a moment later, voicing everyone's thoughts.   
  
Ashley nodded, then leaned away, watching at Nick and Ed kept eating and eating and eating. Leah poured two glasses of wine and handed them to the men, then watched with satisfaction as they downed them immediately.  
  
"Pretty good for six bucks," Ed murmured, then held out his glass for another. Leah smiled and poured him more wine and watched as the alcohol began to take effect.  
  
An hour later, Ed and Nick were both sufficiently drunk, both waving their wine glasses around and book looking like they were about to fall asleep at the kitchen table.  
  
"So I tol' him no WAY!" Nick said loudly, recounting the story of how he told off his brother Frank ... countless times. "And he said 'lissen Nick, if you don do this, you're gonna regret it' and I tol' him to go-"  
  
Leah cut off his potentially offensive statement with a quick kiss. Nick grinned and stroked her face, kissing her again.  
  
"Thas nothin'," Ed blurted out. "This one time while I was painting this model, she walked right over to me an' said 'You're handsome, y'know that?' and I said, 'Shhh, I'm paintin' . . . then she started to take off her clothes - which is when I started paintin' nudes - and then I-"  
  
Ashley took a similar route to cutting off Ed's story and planted a soft kiss on his chest, then on his lips.  
  
"Wow," he murmured, eyelids fluttering and threatening to shut.  
  
He reached for the bottle of wine once again, but Ashley swatted his hand away. Any more and he wouldn't make it past the kitchen door. "I believe that's enough for now, love."   
  
She stood, taking his hand to lead him rather unsteadily out into the living room again. She winked over her shoulder at Leah, who grinned back at her.  
  
After glancing at the couch, she shook her head. "I think we deserve a bed, don't you?"  
  
"Ssssure, dahlin'." His eyes surveyed her, drunken with a potent combination of lust and wine. She led him down the hall into Nick's bedroom and pushed him gently towards the bed.  
  
It didn't take much for him to sink down onto the mattress. She surveyed him thoughtfully. Light tricked in from the window, casting beams of soft sunlight on his half-naked form. She smiled. She'd hate to leave him.  
  
He reached out for her. "Come're."  
  
She obeyed, crawling on top of him and raining kisses down all over his body. "Promise me something," she whispered, her hot breath tickling his ear.  
  
"Anythin'." His hands caressed the expanse of her legs, more of her skin revealed by the way she was straddling him.  
  
"Don't forget me."  
  
He yawned widely, showing his cutely crooked bottom row of teeth. "How could I? Honestly, Ashley..." Another yawn cut him off.  
  
She slid off of him and curled up beside him, resting her blonde head against his chest as his breaths became gradually slower until they became soft snores.  
  
  
Leah was absentmindedly stroking Nick's hair, running strands of it through her fingers as he continually yawned and told her random stories about being a fireman or a police officer.  
  
"That's nice," she murmured softly, kissing his forehead. "I wish I could just sit here and listen forever."  
  
Nick glanced up at her. "You could."  
  
Instead of answering his unspoken question, Leah adjusted her position so that she was straddling Nick on the chair. A drunk grin lit up his face and he reached for her waist, snuggling against her. She smiled and let him hold her, enjoying the feeling of his breath on her throat. She broke away from him a moment later and kissed his forehead, his nose and his mouth.   
  
"Did you have fun tonight?" she asked, suddenly looking very serious.  
  
"More than I've had in a very long time," Nick answered, just as seriously.  
  
Leah's mouth found his again and she kissed him slowly and sweetly before climbing off his lap and moving around him.  
  
"Rest your head on the table babe," she said softly and began to gently rub his shoulders.  
  
"Mmmm," Nick murmured, burying his face in his arms on the table. "That's feels nice."  
  
Moments later he was fast asleep, his breathing light and soft.   
  
Leah leaned down and kissed his cheek a final time, then left the kitchen.  
  
She wandered slowly down the hall after noting that Ed and Ashley were not in the living room. Providing that they hadn't run off to get married somewhere, there was only one other place they could be. She paused outside the bedroom, listening for a moment before softly opening the door.   
  
Her friend lay quietly snuggled in the painter's arms, her fingers tracing light patterns over his smooth skin.  
  
"Ash?" she called softly. She glanced up. "Nick's asleep."  
  
"So's he.... like a baby. The wine did the trick."  
  
Leah nodded with a smile. "Time to go."  
  
Reluctantly, Ashley slid off the bed, careful not to disturb her lover. Before she left, however, she bent and whispered something in his ear before pressing a gentle kiss to his parted lips. Then she followed Leah out of the room.  
  
Once they were out in the hall, Leah squeezed her friend's hand. "What did you tell him?"  
  
"I said, 'It wasn't a dream.'"  
  
Leah smiled, then hugged Ashley quickly. They headed down the hallway together.   
  
Before descending the stairs, she poked Ashley.   
  
"What was that for?!"  
  
"You owe me twenty bucks!"  
  
A smile flashed across the girl's face before she took off running down the stairs. "Not if you don't catch me!"  
  
  
Nick woke up the next morning and groggily rose from the kitchen table, rolling his shoulders to woke out the crick in his neck from sleeping hunched over. He stepped into his living room to find Ed painting already, the sunlight filtering onto the easel.  
  
"What's that?" he asked.  
  
Ed smiled gently and turned the easel toward him. Leah and Ashley smiled out at them.  
  
Just so we remember that it wasn't a dream."  
  
"So, does this mean you're done with nudes?" Nick asked.  
  
Ed grinned. "Who're you kidding?"  
  
The End  
  
Notes: This one is *much* sappier than our other two but honestly ... who would want to leave? 


End file.
